Illinois Football: Some Good News for Starting Center Jake Renfro

The resurgence of  OC Barry Lunney Jr.’s running game over the last month has been a major factor in Illinois Football putting together a four-game winning streak. Giving credit where it’s most deservedly due, that success, of course, starts up front. Bart Miller’s unit has finally found its mojo after battling injuries and lineup changes throughout the season. At the center of it all has been veteran Jake Renfro, who’s helped anchor the unit through the ups and downs.

Given Renfro’s lengthy injury history, his ability to stay relatively healthy this season has been key for this front five. However, that changed Friday night against Nebraska when the 7th-year senior suffered a scary-looking injury after getting rolled up. The Illini managed to finish the job against Nebraska without Renfro, but seeing a team captain and Remington Award watch list member go down is never something you want to see.

Fortunately, though, it sounds like Illinois football avoided another significant injury.

During Monday’s press conference, head coach Bret Bielema offered an encouraging update on Renfro’s status, even suggesting there is a good chance the veteran center returns for this weekend’s road matchup against UCLA.

Bret Bielema’s Injury Update on Jake Renfro

“Yeah, Jake got rolled up, but he almost came back in.” 

I think just where we were at, and then, you know, that last series was kind of just an icing series after the defense made a stop. 

So, hope to have him back with us sooner rather than later. I do think there’s a very good chance he’ll be with us this weekend, but not today.”

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